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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mug — a cup
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mug — a face
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com